Page 63 of Fake It For Love (Faux Love)
“He had some family stuff to deal with,” I answered.
An alert sounded over speakers mounted throughout the resort. My body went stiff as I listened to the warning. The storm had gone from bad to worse. I felt sick. People started buzzing about the severity of the storm and what it meant. It was impossible not to hear the rumors making their way around the lounge. Our fellow class members stopped by on occasion to relay some tidbit of information they’d gleaned from one of the workers.
“Why don’t we go back to our room?” Norah suggested. “Sitting here listening to this crazy talk isn’t going to do anyone any good. They are just spinning wild tales.”
We walked back to their room. I thought about staying in my own room just in case Ryan showed up. “He’ll call you,” Norah insisted.
They had the honeymoon suite, despite not technically being married. Their view of the ocean would normally be beautiful, but now it just looked terrifying. I stood at the glass doors and watched it swirl and spit up seaweed and whatever else was caught in its wrath.
“I pretty much kicked him out of my room,” I said.
“What?” Norah asked.
“I was pissed at him for no reason and pushed him out of the room. What if that’s the last time we talked? I told him to have a safe flight, but it was said in a nasty tone. He’s so nice he didn’t bother rising to the bait.”
“It’s not the last time,” she said. “He’s fine. There are all kinds of radars and stuff to guide these pilots. When there’s bad weather, they’re directed to fly around it. You know that. You’ve flown plenty of times.”
“Those planes are huge,” I said. “His plane is small. I don’t think he can just go around a storm.”
A strong gust kicked up. Sand blurred my view of the ocean. A sickening feeling washed over me. “Come sit,” Norah said and pulled me from the window.
“I don’t think I feel good,” I said.
“Because you’re freaking out,” she said.
“I have to know,” I told her. “I need to know if he’s still in New York or waiting out the storm at some airport along the coast. If he’s still in the air—”
“Stop,” she said. “Don’t go down that road. There is nothing to say he’s in danger.”
“I’ll call the airport here on the island,” Tony offered. “They should know when he’s supposed to land.”
“Yes!” I exclaimed. “That’s perfect. Thank you.”
He grabbed his phone and stepped away. I listened to his side of the conversation. I hoped they were going to tell him Ryan landed and was waiting out the storm at the airport. He ended the call and turned to face me and Norah. The look on his face said it all. “He’s still in the air as far as they know,” he said.
I groaned and hopped out of the chair. “I’m going to be sick.”
I rushed into the bathroom.
“Go get her some ginger ale, please,” I heard Norah say.
She came into the bathroom and rubbed my back as I hung my head over the toilet. Nothing was coming up, but I wasn’t taking any chances. “This is my fault,” I whispered. “He wouldn’t have had to go to New York if it wasn’t for this whole stupid thing. His family will never forgive me.”
“You didn’t force him into this situation,” she said. “He hired you. He’s the one that came up with the idea to pretend to be engaged. He should have warned his family. That’s not on you.”
“I just hate the way we ended things,” I said.
“You’re worried about nothing,” she said. “Didn’t you tell me he was a good pilot?”
“Yes, but it’s not his pilot skills I’m worried about,” I said. “It’s this stupid storm.”
“You know, for only maybe liking this guy, you seem to be pretty worried,” she said gently.
I turned to face her. “I do care about him. I need to know he’s okay. I hate that he’s up there by himself. I wish he would just call.”
“He’s in the air,” she said. “He can’t call. He needs to focus on the flying thing.”
“I hate this,” I murmured. “I’ve never actually been this worried about anyone. This sucks. I don’t like the way this feels.”
